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Spread of Printing in East Asia

Type Event Region East Asia Time 1391–1400

In the 1390s, woodblock printing continued to spread across the Ming dynasty, Joseon, and Japan, with large numbers of Confucian classics, Buddhist t…

Timeline

  1. 1391–1395Nanjing · JiangsuIn the early Ming, Confucian classics, statutes, and calendars were printed in Nanjing and elsewhere. A dual system of official and commercial publishing gradually took shape, and woodblock printing became the primary medium for the spread of knowledge.
  2. 1392–1398Hanyang · South KoreaAfter King Taejo Yi Seong-gye founded the dynasty, a printing bureau was established in Hanyang, publishing Confucian texts such as the Three Rites using both woodblock and bronze movable type; printed works were exported to Ming China and Japan through diplomatic exchanges.
  3. 1396–1400Kyoto · KansaiDuring the Muromachi period, Japanese Zen temples and courtiers continued to print Buddhist texts and Chinese classics, obtaining Ming printed works through missions to Ming China and Tsushima trade; the East Asian printing culture sphere was further integrated in the 1390s.

Sources